Chapter 8: Forcing Me To Reflect: Preservice and Novice Teachers’ Reflective Thinking in Varied School Contexts

We have yet to meet a teacher who has reflected on her or his first year with a sense of preparedness, pride, and fulfillment. To the contrary, toward the end of the first year of teaching, many novice teachers express the sensation of desperately clawing their way to the end of the school year. The frantic pace of the school year leaves little time for processing, and becomes extraordinarily emotionally draining. While most teachers take a short time to power down during their summer vacation, many quickly return to the work of teaching by reflecting on how the year went. By August, many teachers are ready to begin the school year anew with fresh insight and perspective. This rejuvenation is rooted in and relies on reflection.